Cut, Dubai

Last weekend, BW and I popped over to Dubai for a couple of days to attend an exclusive two day event hosted bySole DXB, but more about that in a later post. Although a short trip, it was a much needed break, especially with work becoming a little overwhelming, so when we left the cold, rainy London behind and landed in the hot, sunny Dubai, we were all smiles!

I have to say that the one thing I really do love about Dubai is the food scene. I know you guys must be thinking “how original for a halal food blogger to love the food in Dubai” but it really is much more than that. Remember that restaurant that you walked past in London and stopped to ask if they were halal only to be told that they weren’t. That oh-so-familiar disappointment? Well, what if I told you that that same restaurant is in Dubai, and it’s completely halal, and if it’s not there, then in no time at all, Dubai will open it up. The restaurant scene out there is crazy but let’s put the food aside. The atmosphere and the people at these restaurants is something you won’t quite experience in London. Every restaurant is practically full every single night and buzzing.

FIL and MIL came to pick us up from the airport and asked right away what we wanted for dinner. What were we craving? Having been looking for a new steak place in London, I was really in the mood for a good, juicy, and delicious steak with all the trimmings. In order to get this in London, you must pre-order a few days in advance to get a great quality steak but you’re still limited in terms of accompaniments or cuts of meat. So my lovely FIL decided to book us a table at Cut by Wolfgang Puck.

Little Cheesy Bites and Bread Sticks A basket arrived with fluffy little cheese bread bites and a vase of never-ending long breadsticks.

Bread SelectionCut provide a variety of freshly baked breads before the meal; the olive one in particular is delicious!

Bone Marrow Flan, Mushroom Marmalade, Parsley Salad 100AED [£17.37] I absolutely love bone marrow, for me it’s all about rolling my sleeves up, getting stuck right in and sucking out that fat jelly mmmm. Cut went about it in a more orderly and sophisticated manner however. They had scooped out the marrow and mixed it with what I assumed to be egg, to create a flan consistency, which they then stuffed back inside the bones and placed a cute little spoon on top. I grabbed the spoon, scooped out the delicious marrow flan and spread it on the crispy buttery brioche with a dollop of mushroom marmalade (this was more of a tapenade). Needless to say, no one else wanted to try my delicious concoction! [Make sure you specify no alcohol when ordering]

Butter Lettuce, Avocado, Roquefort Blue Cheese, Cherry Tomatoes, Herb Vinaigrette 90AED [£15.63] A pile of lettuce with slices of creamy avocado, strong blue cheese, and refreshing tomatoes all hidden within the layers with a herby dressing then drizzled all over.

Now let’s get to the steaks!

Not something you usually see on halal menus but when I saw Cut offered this, it was a must-order for both BW and myself – Japanese 100% pure wagyu beef. I know you all must be thinking “but you had wagyu at the London Cut so what’s the difference?” At the Cut in London, I had chosen the Australian wagyu sirloin which, although is wagyu, has been cross-bred with another type of cattle therefore is not 100% pure wagyu beef. Wagyu is a type of cattle that has been raised in Japan and is popular for its intensely fat marbled meat. [Note that wa stands for Japanese and gyu means cow.] These cattle are genetically disposed to have great flavour and are raised for at least 30 months to ensure that their fat has been evenly distributed.

All that immense fat marbling probably sounds ridiculously unhealthy but lo and behold, it is one of the healthiest beef steaks you can order. The reason is due to large amount of monounsaturated fatty acids that are loaded with omega-3s. None of the cattle are pumped with antibiotics either!

Enough of the steak lesson, here we go…

Japanese 100% Pure Wagyu New York Sirloin 580AED [£100.74] He’s not much of a looker but boy, was he tasty. I opted for mine to be cooked a medium-rare as there’s no other way to enjoy a nice juicy steak than for it to be served medium and below. However, mine seemed to have been cooked a little more than medium-rare which was unfortunate but not a huge downfall on the meal. As soon as my knife pierced the steak, it glided through effortlessly like cutting into a stick of butter, and you could see the distinctive but very thin fat layer sitting on the top.Placing the steak piece in my mouth, there was a moment of awe – it just melted in my mouth and the little pockets of fat just burst on every bite. The steak had little seasoning of salt and black pepper that was deliciously crusted on the top so that when you took a bite you got the crunch from the crust and the char from the grill. Simply stunning and there was no need for any accompaniment for this beauty.

Japanese 100% Pure Wagyu Rib Eye Steak 680AED [£118.10] BW opted for a medium cooked rib eye which was delivered more medium-rare so I assume there was a mix up with both our steaks, however the experience of eating the steak was almost the same for him – mouth-watering euphoria – however, he would have preferred his steak to be cooked a little more. Just a quick note, the Japanese wagyu is already marbled with a lot of fat so it may be worth not ordering the rib-eye, which is a fatty steak.

The MIL and FIL had also ordered similar steaks. We opted for several sauces to share between the four of us, however they were barely touched as the steaks needed no extra flavouring.

Hand Cut French Fries with Herbs 50AED [£8.68]

Tempura Onion Rings 50AED [£8.68]In comparison to London’s Cut, these aren’t on par as they needed to be more crispy without the greasiness.

Wild Field Mushrooms & Japanese Shishito Peppers 50AED [£8.68] Lovely, plump mushrooms and peppers that had been sautéed in a garlic based sauce.

Yuzu Blueberry Baked Alaska A baked Alaska usually consists of ice cream, cake, and meringue. Thus Cut’s version arrives looking ever so delicate and when you cut into it, you are able to see the distinctive layers of subtle green tea cake, a cold yet sharp blueberry sorbet, and an aromatic yuzu ice cream, all topped with fluffy and sweet meringue. Crunchy miniature meringues were also scattered around the plate.

Warm Chocolate Pecan Pie with Ice Cream A gooey chocolate cake infused with crunchy pecans topped with sweet popcorn, a crispy caramel disc, and a moussey chocolate tuile lying on top. It was so delicately served on the plate that it was almost too pretty to ruin but me being me, went straight in. The popcorn could have been a lot sweeter and didn’t add much to the rest of the dessert but everything else worked well together to provide a rich chocolatey concoction.

Because the waiters had felt like they had ruined our dining experience due to the steaks being cooked incorrectly, they unnecessarily gave us complimentary desserts in order to make up for their tiny mistake, therefore I didn’t take the dessert prices into account, nor the drinks or service. The total bill amounted to 2902AED which is approximately £504, including different sauces and accompaniments. Astonishingly expensive, there’s little else to say about the bill at one of Dubai’s most expensive restaurants other than pure 100% wagyu beef doesn’t come cheap.

I know that I’ve reviewed this place in London, and I could have tried someplace different considering we are in Dubai and there are an endless supply of restaurants, especially steakhouses, BUT I do have to say that it was hands down the best steak I have ever had. Therefore I just had to review it. The way the steak was like butter in my mouth was incredible and something I have never experienced before when eating at a steakhouse. That simple salt and pepper crusting alongside the top of the meat was due to Cut’s signature cooking methods, and it worked so well with the subtle sweetness of the meat. Okay I should stop; I’m slightly dribbling.

Address: The Address Hotel, Downtown Dubai

For more Dubai restaurants, please click here to see my international directory

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Rating

8.5/10

Food - 8.5/10

8/10

Service - 8/10

8/10

Atmosphere - 8/10

8.2/10

Summary

– Halal status on all meat verified by restaurant
– No pork but alcohol present
– This is not a child friendly establishment

Phew. I’m not the only one thinking that. Used to be a huge fan but feel like it’s no longer about good food but instead a display of a lavish lifestyle and extreme wealth that most readers wouldn’t be able to dream of.

With the exception of three expensive restaurants, the above links are reviews for the last three months. All of which are either cheap eats or reasonably priced – no “lavish lifestyle” or “extreme wealth” to be seen here!

Nope, I’ve looked into this a lot and it seems that only a small percentage of these Japanese cows are apparently fed beer and massaged (Kobe beef) whereas the rest are just bred without any alcohol in their diets! Apparently the alcohol and massaging is a myth! 🙂

Thanks for clearing that up :). I’ve also been meaning to ask you about any halal restaurant recommendations in London. I travel to London quite extensively and frankly I’m tired of the Middle Eastern and Indian places. Was hoping you could suggest something different in the central London area?

Yup, if you check my directory of restaurants on my website, you’ll see I’ve covered a fair range of different types of restaurants because, like you, I’m tired of the same old Indian or Middle Eastern restaurants.